soils

weather

about agriculture, horticulture & viticulture monitoring....

Edaphic Scientific specialises in solutions for growers that improves yields and lowers costs. Dendrometers can measure plant and fruit dynamics to plan for irrigation and fertilisation. Canopy temperature sensors are easy to install and maintain to provide critical information on irrigation. We have an extensive range of soil moisture and water potential sensors, as well as pore water samplers and colorimeters for soil nutrient (N-P-K) or EC monitoring. We also provide complete solutions for weather monitoring, including low-cost, compact weather stations to stand-alone wind speed and direction sensors for spraying. Our sensors are low cost, low powered and digital which is ideal for wireless networks, such as LoRaWAN, and downloading data over the internet.

heatwaves

soil moisture

an overview of sensor options for growers....

Option 1: MPS-6 Sensor

The best sensor you will ever use is the MPS-6 Soil Water Potential Sensor. This gives you a number whereby you can clearly make irrigation decisions. The sensor is pre-calibrated and there is no ongoing maintenance. It is a digital sensor so it can connect to wireless technology. It is a soil, point sensor so it only measures a small volume of the environment experienced by the vine. But, as a low cost, first up option, it is definitely the best:

Option 2: ATMOS-41 Weather Station

For a general, broad overview of the vineyard environment, and the calculation of irrigation decisions via evapotranspiration, an excellent option is the ATMOS-41 All-In-One Weather Station. The ATMOS-41 is about the size of a football and it has all the sensors, in a single unit, to measure temperature, rainfall, wind, humidity, and more, for growers. The ATMOS-41 is another cost-effective option for a broad overview of the vineyard:

Option 3: Leaf or Canopy Temperature

For measurements of plants, the most cost-effective and easiest option is a leaf or canopy temperature sensor. You will need to use this in combination with measurements of ambient air temperature. When the leaf or canopy temperature approaches ambient air temperature, then the plant is stressed. There has been a large amount of research relating canopy temperature to irrigation scheduling in plants. The sensors are easy to install and maintain. They are digital and can connect to wireless networks:

Option 4: Dendrometers

A dendrometer measures the growth and water use of plants. It is an excellent option because they are easy to install and maintain. They also measure water use and growth of the plant so it is possible to combine managements decisions on both irrigation and fertilisation. Our dendrometers are digital and can connect to wireless networks. A limitation on the sensors is you need some experience to interpret the data properly.

Option 5: Sap Flow

The Edaphic Scientific sap flow sensor is the only sap flow sensor available in the world that can measure the complete range of observable sap flow in plants. Therefore, it is the only sap flow sensor available that will provide you with an accurate measurement of plant water use. Sap flow data can be used to monitor vine water stress, response to extreme events such as heatwaves, as well as irrigation management by calculating dosage and irrigation timing. The limitations on the sap flow sensor is they need a specialised data logger to operate (which can, nevertheless, have a modem attached to view data online). You may also need some experience to interpret the data properly: